Quiet | Seungjin

9

Dear future Seungmin,

                    I'm sorry for ruining your second week of senior year. I thought I was finally okay, but I guess I'm not. I keep having nightmares, I just can't get it out of my head. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget what happened, but I feel like I have to so I can get better. I'm not really sure what to do anymore, I've tried everything Mrs. Park asked me to do and I'm still all messed up. I hope you're doing better.

                                         Sincerely,

                                    Kim Seungmin

Seungmin closed his journal and held it against his chest. His eyes fluttered closed momentarily as he immersed himself in thought, however, it didn't last long. His phone buzzed on the bed, causing him to jump.

Looking down at the text message, his eyebrows knit together in confusion upon reading the contact name.

Hyunjin

Hi, I know this is weird and you only gave me your number for the project but I just wanted to see if you were okay. You kinda just disappeared, so I hope you're doing well.

Hyunjin

Oh whoops it's Hyunjin

Seungmin stared down at his phone screen in a trance for what felt like hours. Of course the message was sweet but he'd barely been able to make eye contact with Hyunjin and the boy still cared enough to check up on him?

His thumbs fidgeted nervously in front of his phone screen. What was he supposed to say? There was an empty section in his brain where most teens filled with social cues.

A small breath fell from his lips before he slowly began to type out a response.

Seungmin

I'm doing okay, thanks for checking up on me

His thumb hovered over the send button, what if Hyunjin read the text and laughed at him? He frowned at his own thoughts, since when did he have texting anxiety? That of course had a simple explanation, he'd spent almost all of his life in self isolation, meaning that he never had anybody to text.

Although being friends with another boy was guaranteed to be more of a struggle than a girl like Shuhua, a part of Seungmin wanted Hyunjin as a friend. Maybe it would help him to be friends somebody like him.

Just as he moved to lay his phone on the side table next to his bed, the screen lit up once again.

Hyunjin

Does that mean you'll be back in class soon?

Seungmin

I'm going to be there tomorrow.

This is getting easier, Seungmin thought to himself. He barely had to think about what to say with that last text.

Hyunjin

I'll see you tomorrow then :)

Seungmin

Yeah

Yeah!? What type of response was that? He sounded utterly disinterested with the conversation. Hyunjin probably hated him already based off of the lack of kindness in his responses.

He let out a groan before carelessly throwing his phone down. He needed a nap.

✨✨✨

"Why are you smiling like a creep?" Jisung asked as he sat down next to Hyunjin on the couch.

"I texted Seungmin. And he answered."

Jisungs eyebrows furrowed together in confusion, "he can text?"

"Jisung, he's not illiterate," Hyunjin deadpanned before Felix ran over and jumped on the two.

"Who's not illiterate?" He asked softly as if he didn't almost break both the boys spines.

After adjusting himself so Felix's elbow was no longer dangerously close to cracking one of his ribs in half, Jisung simply answered, "Hyunjin's boyfriend."

Hyunjin gasped at those words before sitting up all the way so he could see Jisung's face as he scolded him for being so childish. Just as he opened his mouth, Felix cut him off with an excited laugh, "So you texted Seungmin!?"

Pouting because he didn't get to give Jisung a piece of his mind, he let out a grumpy, "mhm."

"What're you guys talking about?"

Hyunjin gave Felix a confused look, "I just asked him if everything was okay like you said. He said that it was and he'll be back tomorrow."

"And?" The younger asked, waiting for the rest of the conversation shared between the two.

"And what? That was it."

Jisung laughed at the boy's pathetic excuse for flirting. "It's painfully obvious you've never dated anybody before...or even talked to anybody."

A silence fell over the group as Hyunjin wracked his brain for an answer to what the hell that meant. "What am I supposed to say? I don't want to annoy him."

Jisung and Felix shared a look of sympathy before turning back to their friend. "Hyunjin, if you like somebody you talk to them. You can ask him how his day was or if he has any plans for the weekend. And then after awhile things will start to loosen up and you can have...not awkward conversations."

"Let me see your phone," Jisung stated instead of asked as he held out his hand palm up. Although Hyunjin was unsure about the efficaciousness of the duo, he gave Jisung his phone. They read over the texts and had a side conversation without Hyunjin.

"You're really bad at texting. That was the most awkward platonic shit I've ever read. Do you want to get to know him or not?"

Hyunjin frowned at Felix's harsh tone, but nodded regardless. "I do...I just don't want to like bother him or make him feel like he has to talk to me."

"He would've just ignored your first text if he didn't want to talk to you," Jisung said flatly.

There was a hostile feeling in the room, and Hyunjin was heavily considering making a run for it. But taking to Seungmin compelled him more than his own safety. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"We're going to do more than help you. We're going to make the perfect plan that'll make you go from awkward texter to boyfriend." Felix stated proudly

"Excuse me what?" He asked.

Jisung quickly nodded, "me and Felix will have a perfect plan for you by tomorrow. We're going to spend all night brainstorming, then tomorrow after school we'll come to your house."

There was an uneasy feeling bubbling in Hyunjin's stomach. He loved his friends, but did he trust them with his love life? That was a hard decision to make. He truly had no experience with flirting, but Jisung and Felix did. "Ok, but you better not do anything to embarrass me." 

———

Thanks for reading